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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
This is the best novel I've read since Russo's Bridge of Sighs. It's interesting that the last two great books I've read both use the convention of having older folks reflect on the events of their youth. Perhaps I'm a sucker for that sort of thing.
What's possibly the strongest aspect of Out Stealing Horses is that it weaves a compelling mystery out of some fairly ordinary life events. The prose is sparse - a bit reminiscent of Hemingway. Petterson does an excellent job of giving you just enough details to be satisfied, but he always leaves you wanting a little bit more.
I'm not a fan of superlatives or of the word 'masterpiece', but this novel has it all: a page-turning plot, unique structure, philosophical depth, and well-developed, complex, and sympathetic characters.
If you like good books, read it.
What's possibly the strongest aspect of Out Stealing Horses is that it weaves a compelling mystery out of some fairly ordinary life events. The prose is sparse - a bit reminiscent of Hemingway. Petterson does an excellent job of giving you just enough details to be satisfied, but he always leaves you wanting a little bit more.
I'm not a fan of superlatives or of the word 'masterpiece', but this novel has it all: a page-turning plot, unique structure, philosophical depth, and well-developed, complex, and sympathetic characters.
If you like good books, read it.
Very much not the sort of book I'm typically drawn into reading. I will admit that some of its content was lost on me, I suspect because I am a woman. I view things from a female's perspective, so the reflections of a man in his 60s, contemplating his boy-turning-manhood and the summer that colored the rest of his life, was unfamiliar territory for me. What he feels is kept veiled, speaking more through actions than words, as he tries to work out these emotions with which he is confronted. You have to read between the lines, at least I did, and try to step outside the box of how I think and feel. I wouldn't say I found this a gripping page-turner, but more an exercise in being thoughtful and interacting, perceiving, in a way that is foreign to me. In light of that, I might have awarded three stars for content, but then considered that unfair, since it may be simply my inability to feel what Trond feels that tempered my initial reaction. There are some lessons in the pages of this book. My favorite is this:
"People like it when you tell them things, in suitable portions, in a modest, intimate tone, and they think they know you, but they do not, they know about you, for what they are let in on are facts, not feelings, not what your opinion is about anything at all, not how what has happened to you and how all the decisions you have made have turned you into who you are. What they do is fill in with their own feelings and assumptions, and they compose a new life which has precious little to do with yours, and that lets you off the hook. No one can touch you unless you yourself want them to. You only have to be polite and smile and keep paranoid thoughts at bay, because they will talk about you no matter how much you squirm, it is inevitable, and you would do the same thing yourself."
"People like it when you tell them things, in suitable portions, in a modest, intimate tone, and they think they know you, but they do not, they know about you, for what they are let in on are facts, not feelings, not what your opinion is about anything at all, not how what has happened to you and how all the decisions you have made have turned you into who you are. What they do is fill in with their own feelings and assumptions, and they compose a new life which has precious little to do with yours, and that lets you off the hook. No one can touch you unless you yourself want them to. You only have to be polite and smile and keep paranoid thoughts at bay, because they will talk about you no matter how much you squirm, it is inevitable, and you would do the same thing yourself."
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
This is a manly book. Or a book about men. Or about a man. The book is a fast read and the reader is immediately drawn into the story of a 67 year old man who has sought out solitude and is reflecting back on his life and particularly on his coming of age summer with his father out at a summer house in a rural area. The women who appear in the book (infrequently) do not ever assume fully realized personalities; they are only there for their effect on the main character. But this is lovely rather than grating as the whole book is there to tell the story of the one man and the way that certain past experiences shaped his life. This book is deserving of the high praise it has received. Highly recommended.
Все же скандинавы мне очень нравятся. Наравне с японцами. В очередной раз убеждаюсь в этом. Это не книга о войне, как можно подумать, прочитав аннотацию. Это, скорее, "Пан" Гамсуна (эта книга, кстати, упоминается в романе). Лес, природа, размеренная жизнь, событие, которое нарушает привычное ее течение, воспоминания.
Book is very well written, I enjoyed reading it, but it didn't really do anything special for me. The story was fine, but just that. I'm not sure that I got what I was supposed to get out of it.
Jedna mršava trojka, jer me sadržajem nikako nije vukla na čitanje. Ono što mi se jedino svidjelo je stil pripovijedanja (onako kako to Skandinavci znaju), posebno opisi prirode. Nažalost, ovo nije jedna od onih koje ću pamtiti.
Roman jednog od najznačajnijih suvremenih norveških pisaca osvojio je Norvešku nagradu kritičara za 2003. godinu te još mnoge međunarodne književne nagrade. Trond, glavni lik i pripovjedač, odlazi u mirovinu i seli u malu kolibu u norveškoj zabiti. Neočekivan susret sa sličnim mu susjedom postaje okidač za povratak u prošlost i prisjećanje na ljeto 1948. koje je proveo s ocem u sličnoj kolibi na granici sa Švedskom. To ljeto pokazalo mu je kako čovjek može biti okrutan, zauvijek promijenivši njegov život, ali i živote članova susjedne obitelji.
Roman jednog od najznačajnijih suvremenih norveških pisaca osvojio je Norvešku nagradu kritičara za 2003. godinu te još mnoge međunarodne književne nagrade. Trond, glavni lik i pripovjedač, odlazi u mirovinu i seli u malu kolibu u norveškoj zabiti. Neočekivan susret sa sličnim mu susjedom postaje okidač za povratak u prošlost i prisjećanje na ljeto 1948. koje je proveo s ocem u sličnoj kolibi na granici sa Švedskom. To ljeto pokazalo mu je kako čovjek može biti okrutan, zauvijek promijenivši njegov život, ali i živote članova susjedne obitelji.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read this book for my book club. It was a quick read, and rather enjoyable. This is not a book I would have picked up on my own, but I would recommend it.